The Feel Good Factor

The last couple of years at DrivenByQ have been a bit slow in some ways. Although our turnover has increased quite impressively, we haven’t had the growth in new customers that we were once accustomed to. Personally, I think one of the reasons is because we haven’t had a buzz like we used to have in the early years.

I suppose, I blame this on the fact we’ve had to rebuild our finances after the recession of 2009 and even 2010. We’ve needed to be carefully with our cash and very strategic on where we spent it – even to the point of being boring.

Being conservative is fine but inevitably it has an effect on morale (and people pick up on it). Thankfully, it has never caused us any real issues but I’ve been aware of it in the back of my mind. Gladly though, I think we are finally in a position to be a little bit more adventurous.

Historically, we have always paid ourselves (the business owners) as customers paid our invoices - sometimes waiting sixty day for some accounts to clear. As part of the wave of changes I am making this year, the first thing I have done is ensured that the people who own DrivenByQ are now be paid on the same day we send invoices – just like the rest of our team.

Bringing payments forward like this has delivered a lump sum of cash to the owners of DrivenByQ and generated a feel good factor. In addition we’ve integrated Google Maps in to our software. It has saved time in lots of areas and become a real novelty. Right now there is a new enthusiasm and excitement in our team - just like the good old days; and I have to admit. I like it!

Why Reinvent The Wheel?

Over the last few weeks our work levels have increased. In response, we have introduced new drivers. Initially we send them job details by email or SMS with something like ‘Mr A, at 08.30 from Hotel X to Office Y’. This is fine for a short period but we prefer to introduce our booking system as soon as possible.

Traditionally, most drivers keep a diary but occasionally they forget to transfer information in to it. In addition, they can accumulate corrections and scribbles when journeys get frequently changed which can become confusing to interpret. Further still if copying information manually there is always the possibility to make mistakes.

At DrivenByQ we store our data electronically in the cloud. This way, everyone has access to it remotely and it is always current or up-to-date. Not only that, but it facilitates faster, more efficient communication. When you add online booking to the equation, everything becomes highly automated too.

Using data electronically means our team can manipulate it or add value without ever needing to copy information manually outside of one integrated system. In some ways, it is like a production line flowing raw materials in to a finished product. This is critical for our team to comprehend because it transfers us to a different realm of administrative efficiency, removing tasks and virtually eliminating overheads. It keeps us lean; reduces errors; lowers costs and delivers higher quality to our customer.

Presenting our booking system early on and explaining how it works is an opportunity to introduce our culture. The focus though is not high-tech gadgetry but high quality service. All we ask is that drivers have their own smart phone to login and read jobs securely. When they realise changes made by a customer are immediate on their device, they also recognise our technology means a lot less effort for them too. After all, that is what efficiency is all about.

All Hands On Deck

Over the years, I’ve learnt to delegate and free up my time. Basically half my week is spent on critical tasks and the rest is flexible. Mostly, the clear space in my diary is used to help promote DrivenByQ. Sometimes I attend networking events or engage in social media for example. The reason I work this way is so I am approachable if something unexpected crops up. Additional demand on my time or the business doesn’t cause a crisis and I’m available to lend a hand if need be.

Last week, this strategy paid dividends because the level of work we had increased dramatically and I was required to contribute some long hours as a driver. Really we should have seen it coming but being so close to Easter we thought things would be fairly quiet. On reflection the Chancellor delivered his budget and the 5 April year-end was approaching so maybe we should have anticipated a blip in the level of corporate travel required at short notice?

In our booking system we have a button labelled ‘stats’ that brings up a snapshot of our business for the previous and upcoming seven, fourteen and thirty days, it also compares how the company was operating at the same time a year previous. On one hand it delivers our Key Performance Indicators so we can see if anything is off track but on the other hand it also helps us anticipate or plan for seasonal changes.

This time last year our figures included two of our biggest customers hosting conferences and one other major customer had an unusual peak in their demand for travel. The turnover was encouraging and we didn’t expect to be up on those figures this year. In fact we are up by around 20% and to top the week off we had a three car booking from a potential new customer. So it looks as though the time I leave as disposable might well be used on ‘new driver training’ and keeping the ‘team dynamic’ that can be felt as we continue to grow.